BATTLE IN THE DARK – The “Blue Bills” and White-cappers Have a Bloody Pitched
Battle – Knoxville, Tenn – Oct 27 – For two years there has existed in Sevier county a large organization of white
cap. they have committed many outrages on defenseless citizens, especially women and colored people. Some weeks
ago another gang was organized in opposition, which is known as “Blue Bills’ Last night a body of white-cappers
started out to “do” a man who lives five miles from Sevierville. It happened that this man was a “Blue Bill” and
he hastily summoned his gang together. About twenty of them secreted themselves in a dense thicket of laurel. Shortly
before midnight they heard the approach of the white-cappers. As they approached the thicket, the “Blue Bills”
opened fire on them with Winchesters and a pitched battle raged for several minutes. Two white-cappers, Laban Lathan
and John Kible were killed and several others injured. The “Blue Bills” lost one man, Elithan Allen, a prominent
farmer and two or three others of their clique were badly wounded.Source: Vernon Courier, Lamar County, AL - Nov 1, 1894 - Transcribed
by Veneta McKinney